Eurostars is a funding instrument that supports innovative SMEs and project partners (large companies, universities, research organisations and other types of organisations) by funding international collaborative R&D and innovation projects. By participating, organisations can access public funding for international collaborative R&D projects in all fields.
To have a successful Eurostars application you must:
- Define your project idea.
- Collaborate internationally, sharing expertise.
- Develop products, processes or services that can be easily commercialised.
You can submit your R&D and innovation project application between 16 January 2026 and 19 March 2026 at 14:00 CET. Your project consortium must have an innovative SME in the leading role, and must include entities from at least two Eurostars countries with at least one organisation coming from an EU or Horizon Europe Associated Country (this includes the UK). The project must have an exclusive focus on civil applications.
For UK-based companies, Innovate UK covers up to 60% of project costs in grants for SMEs (large companies and research organisations cannot receive UK grants). The maximum funding amount is a grant of 360,000 euro per project.
Eurostars is part of the European Partnership on Innovative SMEs. The partnership is co-funded by the European Union through Horizon Europe.
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To apply, you must meet seven international eligibility criteria:
- The project consortium is led by an innovative SME from a Eurostars country.
- The project consortium is composed of at least two entities that are independent of one another.
- The project consortium is composed of entities from at least two Eurostars countries with at least one organisation coming from an EU or Horizon Europe Associated Country
- The budget of the SMEs from the Eurostars countries (excluding any subcontracting) is 50% or more of the total project cost.
- No single participant or country is responsible for more than 70% of the budget of the project.
- The project duration is 36 months or less.
- The project has an exclusive focus on civil applications.
You can find more information and definitions of the terms used in these criteria in the detailed Eurostars guidelines in the Resource Library. Read the guidelines here.
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The project consortium must be composed of entities from at least two Eurostars countries with at least one organisation coming from an EU or Horizon Europe Associated Country. The eligible countries are Austria, Belgium (Brussels, Flanders, Wallonia), Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy (MUR only) Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye, and the United Kingdom.
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Check your financial viability
Eureka’s tool indicates whether you have the financial capacity to support your costs in the project.
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UK funding agency, Innovate UK, funds R&D costs for SMEs participating in the Eurostars programme.
Innovate UK covers up to 60% of project costs in grants for SMEs. The maximum funding amount is a grant of 360,000 euro per project.
There is no budget for large companies, universities, and research organisations in the UK programme. If you are a non-SME UK organisation wanting to participate in a Eurostars consortium, contact Innovate UK to see whether there are other funding opportunities available or talk to them about self-funding.
A non-scored UK application will be required for successful ranked projects, where the UK has budget. This application will be sent as a private link through the Innovate UK funding Service portal.
Innovate UK carries out a basic check on your business at the Legal and Financial Viability Check (LVFC) step. If your project is successful we will carry out further checks on your business, prior to issuing your Grant Offer Letter.
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Eurostars will hold a briefing webinar on Thursday 22 January 2026, 10am-11:30am GMT. Click here to register for a webinar place.
If you would like help to form a consortium, contact Innovate UK Business Connect’s Global Alliance team.